Motion & Forces Unit Vocab

Question 1

Distance

Answer 1

Describes how far an object has moved.

Question 2

Displacement

Answer 2

The distance and direction of an object’s change in position of the starting point.

Question 3

Speed

Answer 3

Distance an object travels per unit of time.

Question 4

Average Speed

Answer 4

The total distance the object travels divided by the total time of travel.

Question 5

Instantaneous speed

Answer 5

The speed of the object at a given point in time.

Question 6

Velocity

Answer 6

The speed of an object and the direction of its motion.

Question 7

Acceleration

Answer 7

The rate of change of velocity.

Question 8

Force

Answer 8

A push or pull.

Question 9

Net Force

Answer 9

The combination of forces acting on an object at any given point.

Question 10

Balanced Forces

Answer 10

Forces acting on an object of equal size and opposite direction.

Question 11

Inertia

Answer 11

The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion.

Question 12

Newtons Second Law of Motion

Answer 12

The acceleration of an object is in the same direction as the net force acting on the object.

Question 13

Friction

Answer 13

A force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact.

Question 14

Static Friction

Answer 14

Friction that acts on objects that are not moving.

Question 15

Sliding Friction

Answer 15

Friction that occurs when one solid surface slides over another.

Question 16

Air Resistance

Answer 16

Opposes the motion of objects that more through the air.

Question 17

Gravity

Answer 17

An attractive force between any two objects that depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them.

Question 18

Weight

Answer 18

The gravitational force exerted on an object on Earth’s surface.

Question 19

Centripetal Acceleration

Answer 19

Acceleration toward the center of a curved or circular path.

Question 20

Centripetal Force

Answer 20

The net force exerted toward the center of a curved path.

Question 21

Newtons Third Law of Motion

Answer 21

States: to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Question 22

Momentum

Answer 22

The product of objects mass and velocity.